This book presents a comprehensive and practice-oriented account of Protected Cultivation, addressing its principles, technologies, and applications with special emphasis on Indian conditions while maintaining a global perspective. Structured into ten well-defined units, the book systematically guides readers from the fundamentals of protected horticulture to advanced digital and smart farming interventions.

The initial units discuss the importance, scope, and potential of protected cultivation in the context of global food security, urban and peri-urban agriculture, and India’s growing demand for high-quality vegetables. Subsequent sections provide detailed insights into protected structures, environmental control, growing media, and nursery technologies such as plug-tray raising and vegetable grafting.

A major strength of the book lies in its crop-specific production technologies, covering key solanaceous and cucurbitaceous vegetables under greenhouse conditions. Dedicated units on water, nutrient, and soil management, including drip irrigation, fertigation, and plastic mulching, ensure practical relevance. The book further integrates seed production, plant protection, pollination, GAP, organic practices, and sustainability within protected systems.

Advanced chapters highlight the role of protected cultivation in vegetable improvement, smart agriculture, sensors, and digital technologies, followed by post-harvest quality retention, value addition, and agri-tourism linkages. The book concludes with a comprehensive glossary, making it a valuable reference for undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, extension professionals, entrepreneurs, and policy planners involved in modern horticulture and protected farming systems.

Dr Balraj Singh retired as Vice Cahncellor of SKN Agriculture University, Jobner, Rajasthan and has earlier worked as Director, National Research Centre on Seed Spices (NRCSS), Ajmer and he is the President of the Indian Society of Seed Spices. He is doctorate in vegetable Crops and well known scientist in the field of vegetables and protected cultivation. In the initial ten years period of his carrier, he worked in All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Vegetables and developed several production technologies. Recently he got international training on “Leadership and Decision making” at world’s most prestigious management institute, Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, Cambridge USA. During 2000 he also participated in training on ‘Horticultural crop production under climatic constraints” at Faculty of Agriculture, Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel.

He has been the member of the pioneer team that implemented Protected Cultivation Technology in India under the Indo-Israeli collaborative project established in the year 1999. Later the project took shape of the Centre for Protected Cultivation Technology (CPCT), IARI, New Delhi where he worked for more than 13 years and also headed the same for more than 4 years. He has standardized numerous low cost and energy efficient protected cultivation technologies suitable for different agro-climatic conditions for Indian farmers to bring up vegetable production at new heights.

He achieved vast research experience on hi-tech horticulture by handling many in-house, externally funded and inter-institutional projects. I have also been Consortia Principal Investigator of NAIP project of 1.0 million USD funded by World Bank on ‘Protected Cultivation of High Quality Vegetables and Cut Flowers: A Value Chain Approach’. As a resource person, has been a member of various Working Groups formed in few Indian States for implementation of Protected Cultivation and Hi-Tech Vegetable Farming. During 25 years of his professional carrier, he has acquired valuable experience in research, teaching, HRD, and extension in field of vegetable crops and protected cultivation. My contributions are well recognized both at international and national forums through various awards and recognitions. He is the founder Secretary of the Indian Society for Protected Cultivation and Fellow member of Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Technology; Indian Society of Seed Technology; Horticulture Society of India, Indian Society of Vegetable Science, Indian Society of Seed Spices.

Dr Singh has guided several post graduate and Ph. D. Students as chairman and member of the advisory committee at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi and at NRCSS, Ajmer. He has published more than 100 research papers and 33 book chapters in national and international journals & books of repute. He has also written more than 100 technical and popular articles to disseminate the developed technologies among farmers and stakeholders of the country.

Dr Singh is also the author of the first Indian text book on ‘Protected Cultivation of Vegetable Crops’ and also author of a edited book on “Advances on Protected Cultivation” forwarded by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the Hon’ble Ex-President of India. He has conducted more than 50 national and international training programmes for scientist, professionals and farmers on various aspects like Hi-tech nursery raising in vegetables, advances in protected cultivation of vegetables, plant protection of horticultural crops under protected conditions, seed production in vegetables etc. He has standardized several vegetable crop production & seed production technologies for open field and protected conditions. Under his leadership the NRC on Seed Spices, Ajmer has achieved new heights in R&D in last two years and got ISO 9001:2008 accreditation for providing laboratory analysis,seed spices research and development and consultancy, training and transfer of technology to stake holders.seed spices research and development and consultancy, training and transfer of technology to stake holders.

UNIT I: Introduction to Protected Cultivation
Chapter 1. Importance and Current Status of Protected Horticulture in the World
Chapter 2. Exploring Potential of Protected Cultivation in India
Chapter 3. Role of Protected Cultivation in Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (India Feeding the World)
UNIT II: Protected Structures and Environment Management
Chapter 4. Protected Structures: Types, Designs, Fabrication and Planning
Chapter 5. Low Tunnel Technology
Chapter 6. Growing Media and Production Systems under Protected Cultivation
Chapter 7. Perspective, Future Challenges and Options in Protected Cultivation
UNIT III: Nursery Management and Planting Technologies
Chapter 8. Plug-Tray Nursery Raising Technology
Chapter 9. Vegetable Grafting: Principles, Methods and Advantages
UNIT IV: Crop Production Technologies (Vegetables)
A. Solanaceous Crops
Chapter 10. Greenhouse Cultivation of Tomato
Chapter 11. Greenhouse Cultivation of Eggplant (Brinjal)
Chapter 12. Greenhouse Cultivation of Sweet Pepper
B. Cucurbitaceous Crops
Chapter 13. Greenhouse Cultivation of Cucumber
Chapter 14. Greenhouse Cultivation of Muskmelon
Chapter 15. Greenhouse Cultivation of Bitter Gourd
UNIT V: Water, Nutrient and Soil Management
Chapter 16. Plastic Mulching in Protected Cultivation
Chapter 17. Drip Irrigation and Fertigation Techniques
UNIT VI: Seed and Special Crop Production
Chapter 18. Quality Seed Production under Protected Conditions
Chapter 19. Protected Cultivation of Seed Spices
UNIT VII: Plant Protection and Crop Health
Chapter 20. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) under Protected Cultivation
Chapter 21. Pollination Techniques for Protected Cultivation of Vegetable Crops
UNIT VIII: Quality, Safety and Sustainable Practices
Chapter 22. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in Protected Cultivation
Chapter 23. Organic Cultivation of Vegetables under Protected Conditions
UNIT IX: Advanced and Emerging Technologies
Chapter 24. Role of Protected Cultivation in Vegetable Improvement Using Advanced Techniques
Chapter 25. Smart and Sustainable Agriculture through Protected Cultivation and Digital Technologies
Chapter 26. Innovative Interventions in Protected Farming: From Sensors to Sustainability
UNIT X: Post-Harvest, Value Addition and Extension
Chapter 27. Role of Protected Cultivation in Processing Quality Retention and Value Addition of Vegetables
Chapter 28. Integrating Protected Cultivation with Agri-Tourism
Chapter 29. Glossary of Terms in Protected Cultivation